How we Philosophers approach our evaluations of the world

[2PhiloVoid]

Philosophy involves engaging the world with method and practice, involving critical thought, analysis and evaluation of the world around us.

Unlike theology, it starts on different grounds for evaluating the world and making assertions about it, hopefully the assertions are justified, or verifiably valid and sound.

As Paul the Apostle intimated in Colossians 2:8, the evaluations we Philosophers make can be good or bad, depending on how they're constructed and used; it's really Christians though who, I think, can make the better use of this academic discipline.

So, without further ado, the following introductory video by Philosophy professor, Jeffrey Kaplan, is one of my favorites, and whether I agree with everything he says or not in the video, I think he provides a very basic introduction to the subject which is entertaining and informative. Feel free to listen in, learn and comment if you wish.

What is Philosophy? - First Lecture of the Semester​

Practical, Philosophical Question for all to consider: What is the difference between a secular philosopher and a Christian philosopher?

Further reading suggestions for those who would like to answer the question above for themselves:

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Clark, Kelly James, ed. Philosophers who believe: The spiritual journeys of 11 leading thinkers. Intervarsity Press, 1997.​

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Morris, Thomas V., ed. God and the philosophers: The reconciliation of faith and reason. Oxford University Press, 1994.​

 

[com7fy8]

Love "hopes all things" > in 1 Corinthians 13:7.

There is always hope for what God is able to do. And right now He is already doing more and better than we can pray.

So, we are wise to submit to Him and discover what He does with us, at every moment.

So, a secular philosopher is concerned with what can be expected from humans.

But a Christian philosopher sees how things but is concerned with what can be expected from God.

 

[Jermayn]

One of the most useful things I learned while studying philosophy, which is just as important as finding answers, is how to ask questions.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Love "hopes all things" > in 1 Corinthians 13:7.

There is always hope for what God is able to do. And right now He is already doing more and better than we can pray.

So, we are wise to submit to Him and discover what He does with us, at every moment.

So, a secular philosopher is concerned with what can be expected from humans.

But a Christian philosopher sees how things but is concerned with what can be expected from God.

That's a good point. Although, a Christian philosopher might also be concerned with what should be expected from people, and not merely where the "should" can be applied through ethical terms alone, but also in using the mind that God has given us in necessary critical capacities.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

One of the most useful things I learned while studying philosophy, which is just as important as finding answers, is how to ask questions.

I agree. That's a good point, one that's reflected by Matthew Lee Anderson in his book, The End of Our Exploring.

And do you think that Christian philosophers ask better questions than do secular philosophers?

By the way, what sort of philosophy have you had the opportunity to study?

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

What is the difference between a secular philosopher and a Christian philosopher?

Could it be that a Christian philosopher brings a specific set of beliefs. But then all philosophers have some specific set of beliefs.
Are the Christian philosopher's beliefs non negotiable while the non Christian philosopher's are always open to revision?

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Could it be that a Christian philosopher brings a specific set of beliefs. But then all philosophers have some specific set of beliefs.
Are the Christian philosopher's beliefs non negotiable while the non Christian philosopher's are always open to revision?

I'd say that it depends on the specific Christian philosopher as to whether she will have specific non-negotiables within her working praxis, and this is the case since "philosophy" isn't a monolithic, concrete and stratified discipline. Philosophy requires that all ideas, all human perceptions, conceptions and methods, to be negotiable, and/or improvable.

It's a good question, Akita, and I can ask myself that important question: "Does 2Philovoid have any non-negotiables within his set of beliefs contributing to how he sees the world and how he thinks it works and can be engaged? The answer can be complex, because simply identifying a non-negotiable idea (or an axiom or a pre-supposition) in one area of human thought and perception does not by any means necessitate a consistency to have resulting non-negotiables in every other aspect of human thought or at all levels or in all disciplines of the ongoing act of philosophical analysis. I could also say that it depends on how we define "non-negotiable" and what practical connotations for practice that definition implies.

A Christian philosopher, however, would at minimum, be one who identifies presently as a Christian and who does bring Christian ideas to the table for mixing into the philosophical stew of deliberation where various issues are seen as having importance.

Do you have any non-negotiable beliefs that you feel can't be questioned?

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

I'd say that it depends on the specific Christian philosopher as to whether she will have specific non-negotiables within her working praxis, and this is the case since "philosophy" isn't a monolithic, concrete and stratified discipline. Philosophy requires that all ideas, all human perceptions, conceptions and methods, to be negotiable, and/or improvable.

It's a good question, Akita, and I can ask myself that important question: "Does 2Philovoid have any non-negotiables within his set of beliefs contributing to how he sees the world and how he thinks it works and can be engaged? The answer can be complex, because simply identifying a non-negotiable idea (or an axiom or a pre-supposition) in one area of human thought and perception does not by any means necessitate a consistency to have resulting non-negotiables in every other aspect of human thought or at all levels or in all disciplines of the ongoing act of philosophical analysis. I could also say that it depends on how we define "non-negotiable" and what practical connotations for practice that definition implies.

A Christian philosopher, however, would at minimum, be one who identifies presently as a Christian and who does bring Christian ideas to the table for mixing into the philosophical stew of deliberation where various issues are seen as having importance.

Do you have any non-negotiable beliefs that you feel can't be questioned?

Well, I think I am able to caption them. Like, I believe in a fundamental "consciousness" realizing I could be wrong. But then, what that consciousness is like in itself remains mystery.

A Google AI result: Christian philosophy is a way of thinking that combines Christian faith with reason and intellect to explore truth, knowledge, and the good of the world. It seeks to understand the world, including humanity, from a Christian perspective, addressing questions about God, morality, and the meaning of life. Essentially, it's a worldview that aims to be both rationally defensible and spiritually insightful.

"A Christian perspective" would seem to have certain beliefs. The nature of God as Good, Father or should I say triune, incarnational, redemptive. It would also need to be teleological toward a final "Kingdom". What other beliefs are needed for a Christian philosophy?

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Well, I think I am able to caption them. Like, I believe in a fundamental "consciousness" realizing I could be wrong. But then, what that consciousness is like in itself remains mystery.

A Google AI result: Christian philosophy is a way of thinking that combines Christian faith with reason and intellect to explore truth, knowledge, and the good of the world. It seeks to understand the world, including humanity, from a Christian perspective, addressing questions about God, morality, and the meaning of life. Essentially, it's a worldview that aims to be both rationally defensible and spiritually insightful.

"A Christian perspective" would seem to have certain beliefs. The nature of God as Good, Father or should I say triune, incarnational, redemptive. It would also need to be teleological toward a final "Kingdom". What other beliefs are needed for a Christian philosophy?

Another belief I think is needed to definitively identify a Christian approach to philosophy as a Christian one is to see the need for the application of critical questions drawing from History and Hermeneutics and not simply by those engaging Metaphysical or Axiological questions via Metaphysical or Axiological pre-suppositions.

Moreover, as Jeffrey Kaplan suggests in the first few minutes of his video, and as I think Paul infers to the Colossians, we have to also be discerning about what the term "philosophy" is used to apply to. Is it being used as a synonym for "worldview," or is it implying something about 'how' we go about in determining our method(s) for engaging and evaluating the world around us? I think too many folks tend to think of philosophy as a totalized 'worldview' one has to arrive at rather than as a method of inquiry which can be applied to various ideologies, viewpoints, and/or human assumptions.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

Another belief I think is needed to definitively identify a Christian approach to philosophy as a Christian one is to see the need for the application of critical questions drawing from History and Hermeneutics and not simply by those engaging Metaphysical or Axiological questions via Metaphysical or Axiological pre-suppositions.

Moreover, as Jeffrey Kaplan suggests in the first few minutes of his video, and as I think Paul infers to the Colossians, we have to also be discerning about what the term "philosophy" is used to apply to. Is it being used as a synonym for "worldview," or is it implying something about 'how' we go about in determining our method(s) for engaging and evaluating the world around us? I think too many folks tend to think of philosophy as a totalized 'worldview' one has to arrive at rather than as a method of inquiry which can be applied to various ideologies, viewpoints, and/or human assumptions.

Yes, we all have a worldview or uncritical philosophy of life. But I so appreciate the deeper understanding as "a method of inquiry which can be applied to various ideologies, viewpoints, and/or human assumptions." A process, a living process.

For a while there I was really into reading David Tracy. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of theology, philosophy and literature and is able to summarize in helpful ways. Now I am more into Thomas Merton. Another brilliant guy but more reflective.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Yes, we all have a worldview or uncritical philosophy of life. But I so appreciate the deeper understanding as "a method of inquiry which can be applied to various ideologies, viewpoints, and/or human assumptions." A process, a living process.

For a while there I was really into reading David Tracy. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of theology, philosophy and literature and is able to summarize in helpful ways. Now I am more into Thomas Merton. Another brilliant guy but more reflective.

Merton is an interesting fellow from what little I've read about him. However I can say that I tend to engage the use of philosophy more in the way he veered away from, although I do see uses in apophatic theology.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

Merton is an interesting fellow from what little I've read about him. However I can say that I tend to engage the use of philosophy more in the way he veered away from, although I do see uses in apophatic theology.

Ya, he is not a philosopher though he knows philosophy and theology. He is more an explorer.

Tracy has helped me sort out theology. But Philosophy is different. I think philosophy should start to be taught as early as possible. It can be done.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Ya, he is not a philosopher though he knows philosophy and theology. He is more an explorer.

Tracy has helped me sort out theology. But Philosophy is different. I think philosophy should start to be taught as early as possible. It can be done.

Yes, I agree. And for the sake of clarity, when I refer to Philosophy, I essentially, even if not exclusively "mean" it to refer to various forms of Critical Thinking. Apparently, I'm forced to make this clarification because all too often today, a number of folks tend to think Philosophy merely means "elitist speculation." And that probably partly comes from the influence of Karl Marx, who thought most philosophers were a waste of time for the masses.

 

[com7fy8]

a Christian philosopher might also be concerned with what should be expected from people,

"the way of man is not in himself" (in Jeremiah 10:23).

So, how much and **what** are we wise to expect from humans?

and not merely where the "should" can be applied through ethical terms alone,

Ah-h-h . . . certainly we do not want legalistic ethics and rules used to control people for the use of limited selfish ones who can't even take care of their own selves right!

but also in using the mind that God has given us in necessary critical capacities.

So, this brings us to if a human without Jesus is capable of truly beneficial evaluating. Jesus says, "without Me you can do nothing," in John 15:5.

And how does anger work in a person's process of thinking rationally, for one thing? I find my mind does need a lot of steam cleaning. Lust and unforgiveness and anger and self-righteous stuff have a way of cancelling me. And only God is able to put that stuff "away" >

"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice." (Ephesians 4:31)

And then, with Jesus ruling, I would say, things work to create even better than I was thinking and hoping. Because God creates better than I can. But He does have us share with Him in all that He is doing. But this can be while I am critically thinking, how I need to trust God for how He has me submissive to Him and flowing along with how He is managing things and people.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

Yes, I agree. And for the sake of clarity, when I refer to Philosophy, I essentially, even if not exclusively "mean" it to refer to various forms of Critical Thinking. Apparently, I'm forced to make this clarification because all too often today, a number of folks tend to think Philosophy merely means "elitist speculation." And that probably partly comes from the influence of Karl Marx, who thought most philosophers were a waste of time for the masses.

Yes, critical thinking and the various options like rationalism, empiricism, theories of knowledge and all that.

Christian Philosophy would seem to take a lot from Plato then Augustin and/or Aristotle and Aquinas.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

"the way of man is not in himself" (in Jeremiah 10:23).

So, how much and **what** are we wise to expect from humans?

Notice here that I simply stated that "a" Christian philosopher---that is, any one individual Christian philosoper---may be concerned with what he or she thinks could be "expected" of people. My ambiguity in saying this is in knowing that being a Christian philosopher doesn't imply that such a philosopher will reach the same conclusions as every other Christian philosopher. They are all different people from different backgrounds, and often from different denominations.

Also, my saying that a Christian philosopher may be concerned with what should be expected from people can, itself, be applied to a range of topics pertaining to human thought, human identity, human affiliation, human nature, as well as to various methods by which Christian theology, or a range of epistemic or social issues, might be approached and evaluated.

So, I'm not implying that there is one specific outcome here, merely that a Christian philosopher will engage the chosen topics in a more calibrated, methodical, and reflected way. As for myself, my hoped for outcome would be the better application of Critical Thinking.

Ah-h-h . . . certainly we do not want legalistic ethics and rules used to control people for the use of limited selfish ones who can't even take care of their own selves right!

Right. But we may want to consider among ourselves what the rational principles are by which we could understand better the history of the Christian faith and its contents.

So, this brings us to if a human without Jesus is capable of truly beneficial evaluating. Jesus says, "without Me you can do nothing," in John 15:5.

Right. But we might want to ask what does this verse mean precisely and how we should go about interpreting it and applying it.

And how does anger work in a person's process of thinking rationally, for one thing? I find my mind does need a lot of steam cleaning. Lust and unforgiveness and anger and self-righteous stuff have a way of cancelling me. And only God is able to put that stuff "away" >

"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice." (Ephesians 4:31)

Sure. In the deliberation process, a Christian philosopher would want to come at an issue as rationally as possible, as well as being as self-controlled as possible when doing so.

And then, with Jesus ruling, I would say, things work to create even better than I was thinking and hoping. Because God creates better than I can. But He does have us share with Him in all that He is doing. But this can be while I am critically thinking, how I need to trust God for how He has me submissive to Him and flowing along with how He is managing things and people.

Of course, the influence of the 'Biblical Voice' of Jesus would need to be present in the rational process, but even then, there are some things the biblical writers themselves don't teach us about Critical Thinking that are needed for more fully engaging in the process of Critical Thinking.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Yes, critical thinking and the various options like rationalism, empiricism, theories of knowledge and all that.

Christian Philosophy would seem to take a lot from Plato then Augustin and/or Aristotle and Aquinas.

Yes, Christian Philosophy has been influenced by those historical figures, but today it doesn't by any necessity rely on them. Not any longer. And what's more, we can recognize today the limits of what Plato, Aristotle, Augustine and Aquinas have provided to successive generations. On some points they made, we can critically assess them and come to realize that they made mistakes; we can also identify where those mistakes are located in their systems or presentations of "yesterdays" thinking. The same goes for some of the more modern Christian philosophers, whether we're citing those from the time of Rene Descartes up to today who have been active and writing over the last 30 years.